As agitation by people for years failed to bring succour, a section of local elite made an appeal recently to the caretaker government to take immediate steps to commission the project. In the appeal made in a joint press statement in Satkhira, they alleged that a former BNP lawmaker from the area was behind the vested quarters.

The level of arsenic in ground water in Kolaroa is between .70 (point seven zero) and .50 (point five zero) against the WHO (World Health Organisation) permissible level of .05 (point zero five).

According to Public Health Department (PHED), about 96 per cent of the 18510 tube wells in Kolaroa are arsenic contaminated. The survey conducted in 2001 said there were 683 arsenicosis patients in the upazila. It would be more now, PHED sources and locals claimed.

People of the small town on several occasions demanded steps by the municipality authorities to supply arsenic-free water but the authorities were helpless due to lack of funds.

The Kalaroa Arsenic-free Water Supply Project, jointly implemented by Bogra Rural Development Academy (BRDA) and a local NGO--JESH Foundation, is unutilised about two years after completion.

Over two lakh people of Kalaroa municipality and adjoining areas are affected because of serious arsenic contamination of ground water.

Bogra Rural Development Academy (BRDA) came forward with assistance and signed a contact with JESH Foundation, a local NGO on September 9, 2003 to implement a project to supply arsenic-free water.

An agreement was also signed between Kalaroa Municipality and JESH Foundation on December 3, 2003. Bogra RDA gave Tk 18 lakh interest free loan to JESH Foundation to implement the project.

As per contract, Kalaroa municipality leased six decimal land to JESH Foundation for the project on an annual payment of Tk 1500.

Under the project, an overhead tank has been built, water treatment plant installed and a deep tube well sunk. The work started on December 12, 2003 and was completed in March 2005.

Laying of PVC pipeline in the town is yet to be done.

As per the agreement with JESH Foundation, the pourasava would bear the cost of laying PVC pipeline in the town and get 40 percent of the profit from the project.

Pourasava authorities floated a tender in February 2004 for the Tk 5,50,000 PVC pipe-laying work.

Ten firms bid for the work. But the pourasava cancelled the tender in the same month without showing any reason.

It was alleged that the tender was cancelled following a pressure from some vested quarters.

The municipal authorities again floated a tender for the work on June 16, 2004. But there has not been any progress in the pipeline laying work since then.

However, the NGO, complying with a request of the municipal authorities, started supplying arsenic-free water from the overhead tank on January 27, 2005.

After three days, the pourasava authorities declined to take water from the project and wrote a letter to Bogra RDA to hand over the project to it. Bogra RDA refused as it was not in the agreement, sources said.

The project authorities then started supplying arsenic-free water to people from its compound.

But supply came to a halt after valuable equipment were stolen on June 19 night. Since then, supply of water is stopped.

Mir Maniruzzaman manager JESH foundation filed a case with Kalaroa thana on June 20 (case no 9 dated 20.05.05).

Police arrested Jahangir Hossain but released him allegedly under pressure and submitted final report to the court.

Asked about the fate of the project Kalaroa UNO Samimul Islam Siddique who is also the administrator of the municipality said, he joined recently and came to know that the project is lying unntilised for about two years.

"Vested quarters are behind so that the project can not be commissioned", said the statement. The signatories include veteran freedom fighter Sheikh Amanullah, former MP BM Nazrul Isalm, Prof. MA Farooque, Sajedur Rahman Khan Chowdhury and local journalist Palash Chowdhury.

On contact, the former lawmaker denied all the allegations.

But he remained mum when asked why he did not take any initiative to commission the project during his tenure.